Cracked Legends
by The Paper Wolf
Summary: <html><head></head>Black Ghost has caught another victim in its jaws. This time, a girl named Angel must find the courage to turn her curse of being a cyborg into her greatest gift. Watch how Angel turns her life around with the help of the rebels! 002/oc!</html>
1. The White Shadow

Chapter One: The White Shadow

_It's the fighter and not the poet,_

_who feels the pain of another day in Hell._

_It's the fighter and not the poet,_

_who loses everything they work so hard for!_

_The poet's job to write the fighter's story._

_Just like it's the fighter's job to protect the poet._

_Since I was small,_

_I was told I could fly._

_So I jumped off the roof to see if they were right._

_Nobody cried for me..._

The year was 1990 on a cold January night in Japan. The snow had been falling since that morning and showed no signs of stopping. A young girl about eighteen was found in the skating rink below her guardian's house in the city of Kyoto; practicing her technique like she always does when she finished dinner. She jumped into the air while turning her hips around to spin at an invisible audience. She landed gracefully on the ground, and stroked the ice backwards; skated around while thrusting her arms behind her to help her skate faster.

The girl stood to be around 5'5'' with a very thin frame; granting her near-perfect agility compared to the other skaters in town. Her air was a silvery gray color with pale skin that would've been flawless had not for the scar that curved around her left eye. Her left eye was a dark red color and the other was a dark blue. Both eyes were different in comparison, but both eyes hidden behind a pair of thick black glasses, and both eyes held the same determination.

She wore a tight pair of black pants with a plain gray long sleeved shirt that was tucked into her pants with pure white boots and light brown soles. Around her neck held a slightly large pink ice daimond heart necklace that dangled with each movement she executed.

After she paused to catch her breath, she heard loud clapping from the back entrance of the dojo, and spun around to see a middle-aged man who stood at the doorway; watching her practice with pride. He stood about 5'10'' and with slick black hair and neck-length that tied into a tight braid, that went down to his mid-back.

"You should know better as to wear your effects during practice, Small Lady." The man said in a fatherly tone as he smirked playfully at the girl in the middle of the room.

The girl placed one hand over her locket, and the other on the side of her face on the ear piece of her glasses. "It'd be my own fault if something were to happen to them, Alexie, you know how much my necklace means to me and I need my glasses if I'm going to be able to see where I'm going." She told him in a defensive tone as she glared at the boy to her left.

"That's true, I apologize, Angel," The man-or Alexie said with a regretful bow to her, "I understand how much your effects mean to you."

The girl named Angel smiled and shook her head at Alexie, and walked over towards the mantle; picking up a towel to swipe the sweat she worked up during practice. "It's alright, Alexie. I'm going to take a shower and make us some dinner, okay?" She said in a gentle tone as she smiled at the man before her as she walked over towards the door.

"I'd hold off making dinner, if I were you, Angel." Alexie said in a final tone as he moved aside for the girl to pass by. "You got a letter in the mail today from America."

Angel smacked her head in realization. "Oh?" she asked in a puzzled tone as she turned towards the man holding a letter in his hand.

It turned out that thei was an invitation for a type of opening figure skating training rink known as "The International Figure-Skating Training Camp". That was located in New Orleans, Orlando. The duo seemed highly interested and thought it would be a great idea for Angel to get away from the country and see the world.

Angel had a bad feeling about it, but Alexie reasoned with her; telling her it would be a great idea to show the world how talented she was. Alexie had stole the letter from her and read that the committee even go as far to pay for her to have the best trainers to teach her as long as she stayed in the compitition. It seemed that this training camp had saw great potential and really wanted a talented skater to train in their camp and would do anything to have her. It all just seemed too good to be true...

After a few moments, it was decided that Angel would leave in about a week for this training camp. She was to take that week to get any last minute packing she could, say goodbye to all her friends and family.

And soon, after a very long week of packing, Angel had her things packed away into a pair large suitcases and a single army bag. After a few tears were shed for each other, the duo parted ways and Angel slowly got into the waiting car with two men dressed in black.

After they began driving away, Angel noticed that they weren't going in the direction of the airport, and turned towards one of the men and gasped when she saw him smirking wickedly at her.

"We're not going to the airport, are we?" Angel demanded as she began struggling against the men.

One of the men placed a damp cloth over her mouth, and soon enough, she blacked out into their arms.

The car stopped at the nearby river and got out. One of the men dumped her bag into the river while the other had tied Angel up, and threw the poor girl into the trunk of the car.

Once they secured her, one of the mysterious men pulled a phone out of his pocket and dialed up a random number. "Mr. Black Ghost, sir. We have the girl." He said into his phone and waited for a response. "Understood, sir. We're on our way..."

And with that, the darkened duo got back into the car and sped off into the setting sun...


	2. Angel of The Dead

Chapter Two: Angel of the Dead

_There's no moonlight in this place..._

_Is this Hell on Earth?_

_I was the best female fighter in all of Japan!_

_Now, I'm holding back what I should've been able to let go!_

_I thought it was all just a bad dream!_

_You better start believing in nightmars..._

_You're in one!_

_And it's a long way till dawn..._

_ 'Wake up, 0018!' _A voice cried out in Angel's mind.

Angel's duel eyes snapped open and bolted up from the cold hard table she was lying on. "Wha?" She asked in a groggy tone as she took in her surroundings.

It was some kind of labatory with machines beeping constantly at her. She looked down and seen her clothes had been replaced with a red suit with four large yellow buttons. She slowly stood up and realized that her street shoes had been replaced by knee-high black boots and once she turned around, and saw her reflection in an offlline black screen.

She had a large yellow scarf tied loosely around her neck as she looked herself over. She hadn't the time to wonder about her sudden appearance, because there was a sound of loud explosions coming from outside the door.

She turned her head to see a small group of people dressed exactly like her standing in the door way. One was a short fat man with strangely curled hair, as he stood with his back towards the hall way. Angel guessed that the man must be Chinese. A slightly tall man with no hair mimicked the Chinese man; guarding the entrance.

"Who are you? What have you done to me?" Angel cried out frantically; taking a weak step back from them.

A smiling blue haired-blue eyed man took a small step towards the girl. "It's alright, 0018," he said in a gentle tone; extending a hand towards her, "We're here to save you."

Angel shook her head and fell to her knees. "Who's 0018?" She asked in a shaky tone as she stared up at the group before her. "What's going on?"

The bluenette kneeled down before Angel and smiled calmly at her. "We'll answer all your questions, but you need to come with us," He said in a gentle tone, "we won't let Black Ghost use you in their plans like they did us. But you're going to have to trust us. We just want to help you, 0018."

"Uh- 004, I do hate to rush things, but it looks like we need to get moving or more of those guards will start to wonder where their friends are." The bald man said in an urgent tone as he leaned back into the room.

"What's the meaning of this? I'm not supposed to be here!" Angel cried in a panic tone as she shook her head in disblief; holding her head in one hand.

The blue haired man gave her a smile and stood up. "Looks like we have something in common then." He said in a calm tone; extending his arm out to her one last time. "It's not safe here for you or any of us."

Angel gasped in shock and nodded her head in uncertainty; taking a deep breath before she placed her hand in his and pulled herself up. "I don't know what's going on, but I sure hope I'm not making a bad choice in all this." She said in a worried tone.

The man called 004 smiled and took a stray blaster from one of the tables from beside the table. "I promise everything's gonna be okay now, 0018. Trust us." He said as he handed the girl the blaster.

Angel looked down at the blaster resting in her hands. "I trust you to get me out of here!" She said in a hollow tone as she stood ready to leave. She placed a hand over her chest and gasped in realization. "Oh no! My necklace! I can't leave without it!"

004 groaned in slapped his forehead. "I'm sure it's long gone now, 0018. Black Ghost doesn't really like us to keep our personal effects from our previous lives."

Angel was about to shake her head, but another rumbling sound shook the room and brought them down to their knees once again.

_'Everyone, hurry up and get out of there!' _the voice from before cried out from inside their heads, _'That place is about to blow! You've got to get out now!'_

"Who was that? Am I going crazy?" Angel asked in a scared tone as she looked around to see if she could find the voice.

The three men laughed while 004 pulled her forward. "That's just 001. You'll get to meet everyone soon enough if we hurry up and get out of here, 0018."

Angel followed the trio out of the room, and down the hall. The further they walked, the more memories popped in and out of Angel's mind about what had happened to her. She couldn't quite get all of the memories in order, but she had a feeling that whatever happened, wasn't good.

After a few more warnings and lots of directions, the rescue team (plus Angel) had been led outside in some remote dessert area. They had made it to a cliff where their transportation was located to find that they were under attack by an armor of robotic looking soldiers.

"Oh, no! They're attacking the Dolphin!" The short fat man cried out as he jumped up and down in frusteration.

"It's such a shame we have to work so hard to get our freedom, but I guess it can't be helped." The bald man said in a tired sigh as he shook his head in defeat as he charged for the soldiers, pressing his belly button and transformed into an elephant and charged straight through the crowd of mechanical soldiers.

The Chinese man giggled playfully at the approaching soldiers and took a deep breath before he blew fire from his mouth; melting the steel men in their places.

Angel looked over at the blue-haired man with panic in her eyes. "What's happening? How are those two able to do things like that?" She asked with shock in her voice.

004 smiled down at the girl and pulled the skin off his left hand; revealing a strange metal hand with holes at his fingertips. "Black Ghost kidnapped us off the streets and remodeled our bodies to become these advanced weapons of mass destruction." He explained in a carefree tone as he pointed his metal hand at the soldiers and fired bullets from his fingertips; hitting the attackers and destroying a few of their commrads, which resulted in blowing up the surrounding soldiers.

Angel looked up at the sky and saw a red-haired man flying around in the sky while shooting at the small fighter jets that circled around the ship. "Can I do things like that, too?" She wondered out loud; watching everyone fight against the mechanical people.

"Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there?" 004 said as he kneeled down on one knee and the other opened; launching a missle from his joint; blowing up the ground the enemy was standing on.

Just when the odds were looking in the cyborgs' favor, a large serpent-like creature came up from under the ground under the land based cyborgs; wrapping them all in seperate tails; nearly squeezing the life out of them. 004 howled in pain as he felt the binds around his arms tighten, while the chubby man tried to blow fire on the encircling tail around him, but could only blow simple smoke. The bald man couldn't reach his belly button to transform again, and began screaming in pain as he met the same fate as his friends. Angel screamed as she thrashed violently agianst her bindings.

_'I 'm not make it out of this! Alexie! Help me!' _Angel thought desperately as she struggled against the metel bindings threatening to end her existance.

_'There's a switch in the back of your left tooth. Push it and you'll be super fast and be able to escape.' _The voice from before intructed urgently as Angel's eyes snapped open.

Angel clanked her teeth together and flipped the switch; closing her eyes in doubt. Once she opened her eyes, the battlefield around her had appeared to cease moving. She looked over at the trio who helped her escape and saw their pained looks. She wiggled herself free and quickly jumped down from the metel monster.

_'What just happened here?' _Angel half, spoke-half screamed in a crazied tone; cutching her head in pain while trying to reason with what she was seeing and feeling.

_'You're a 00 Cyborg now, 0018.' _The voice said in a grim tone from inside her head. _'You're in acceleration mode. Right now, you're moving so fast that time can't keep up with you.'_

Just as the voice had vanished, the scene caught up with her and everything had returned to normal. She stood there dumbfounded and watched the evil thing squeeze the men who were trying to help her. She looked around for anything to help and noticed that 004 had dropped his blaster on the ground and an idea hit Angel as she pulled her own blaster out of her holster. She pointed at the base of the creature, and fired at the fiend.

If things couldn't get any worse, the creature let go of the cyborg men; letting them fall to the ground with their own special 'thump'. They all looked up at the creature and saw that it had split into several different little spider-looking machines that went flying off towards all the defending cyborgs. The airborne cyborg fell to the ground when one of the mechines attached itself onto his stomach. 004 had one of those things attack his face while the other two had suffered the same fate and had fallen to the ground; trying their best to get the machines off their faces.

_'Get those disks off right now! They have stingers on their under bellies that inject a lethal poison that could paralyze you!' _The voice cried out frantically into their minds, _'Please help them, 0018!'_

Angel looked around and found a long metal rod sticking out of the ground. "Oh, please, Alexie. Give me the strength to help these people!" She begged to herself as she took a deep breath, and pulled the rod from the ground.

She held the rod out in front of her and ran over towards 004. "Hold still, sir and I'll help you!" She ordered as she watched the man slowly stop struggling with the device; and held very still.

Once he had gone limp, Angel raised the rod over her head, and wacked the thing on his face. Like magic, the machine fell off (much to the two's relief). 004 slowly stood up with the girl's help and smiled down at her.

"Thanks, 0018, I owe ya one." 004 said in a greatful tone as he gave her a proud smile. "Your father would be proud of you."

Angel gasped at the man before her until the sound of the torch melting the disks from the fat man, whom quickly got to work on the bald man. "I- I- I never had a father!" Angel cried as she grabbed her head in pain.

004 took a step forward and placed a hand on her back. "Whoa, calm down now, 0018!" 004 said in protest as his hands went from her back to gripping her shoulders. He looked over at the Dolphin with worry on his face. "I think her mind is malfuctioning, Professor Gilmore! I'm bringing her aboard!"

002 stepped up from the trio surrounding the two. "I'll take her, 004. Just get everyone on borad." He said in a rough tone as he held his hand out to Angel.

Angel gasped at the man beside her and slowly reached out for him. Just as she had barely touched his hand, a few sparks flew from her body; making her grab her head in pain once again. She screamed and fell to the ground; turning from side to side while trying to stop the pain in her head.

"What's wrong, 0018?" The red-haired American shouted as he joined 004 on the ground.

"That's what I call a serious headache!" The bald man said in a shocked tone as he watched the girl scream and thrash on the sandy ground.

The two men closest to Angel gave her audience a dirty look. "Don't joke about this, 007! This could be serious!"

"Make it stop! Make it stop, please! Someone help me!" Angel cried out as she began to cry and shake uncontrollably on the ground.

The blue-haired man sighed and relaxed his composture for a moment. "We can't even pick her up if she keeps thrashing around like this." He said in a defeated tone, as he ran a hand through his hair. "At this rate, she could draw more attention to us than we already need!"

The man on her other side growled in frusteration; then an idea hit him. He looked over at the sobbing girl without an emotion. "I'm sorry about this, 0018. But we know someone who will help you." He said as he picked her up roughly and stood her against the now standing 004. "Hold her, 004."

004 gave him a questioning look before he did what he was told. "What are you planning over there, 002?" He asked in a suspisious tone; watching the jet fighter cyborg closely.

"Just this..." The man now named '002' said with a grim expression, as he drew his fist back and thrust it into the girl's stomach.

Angel gasped and spit up a spot of blood before she collasped against 004's body. 004 looked up at 002 with anger in his eyes as he carefully pulled Angel into his arms and held her protectively against him.

"Well, that could've gone a little bit better." He said angrily as he looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms.

002 shrugged his shoulders. "It worked, didn't it?" He asked in an equally angry tone as he glared at the old man before him. "We'll settle this on the Dolphin after we get the heck outta here!" He cried as he snatched the girl from 004 and flew off towards the Dolphin.

Once everyone was on the aircraft, they took off as fast as they could. 002 had placed Angel on one of beds in the sick bay while Proffessor Gilmore began examining her with the help of 003...


	3. Truth Be Told

Chapter Three: Truth Be Told

_You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor,_

_without holding on..._

_I'm not crazy,_

_you're just more sane than I am..._

_All those who believe in telekenis,_

_raise my hand._

_Don't drink and park,_

_accidents cause people..._

_I'll be sober tommorrow,_

_but you'll still be ugly for the rest of your life!_

_Don't worry,_

_you're just a sane as I am._

_Hey, guess what?_

_I got the last word..._

004 had helped 003 watch over 0018 for the past few days since they had saved her from being another tool for the evil Black Ghost. Professor Gilmore had been working around the clock to find out what had happened to 0018. 004 couldn't help but think back to how she acted after they had caught a break in the battlefield. She had tears in her eyes when she begged 004 to try and stop the pain. She looked so helpless, so hurt. He felt his own heart going out to her.

The middle-aged man snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the blonde woman call his name. "Did you hear me, 004?" She asked as she looked sideways at the blue-haired man, "I asked if you'd get get me some more bandages."

004 blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, 003," he said in a nervous tone, "my mind was running away from me." He said as he got up and went over to the cabniet, and pulled out some bandages.

The short old man was typing something on his computer. He hooked up a slightly thick cable to 0018's wrist and began searching his screen for whatever he was looking for.

004 looked over at the old man and folded his arms over his chest. "What are you doing, Proffessor Gilmore?" He asked in a puzzled tone as he looked over his shoulder at the screen.

Professor Gilmore closed one eye at the man behind him and went back to his work. "It's just a feeling that I got. I'll tell you if I make sure I'm right or not. I don't want to worry you, boy."

004 looked over at 003 and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess he wants to be sure about something so he won't worry us for no reason."

After a few momentary visits and asking the two cyborgs for a few favors, he gasped and blinked dumbfounded at his results. "I didn't think they'd use this system on a woman of this age!"

004 looked over at the screen, but didn't understand what it showed. "What do you mean, proffessor? Did Black Ghost do something else to 0018?" He asked as he looked at 003.

Proffessor Gilmore sighed and began typing on the computer. "I made up a model in my spare time to tap into computers' mainframes and use the information to our allies' advantage. It was like a more advanced version of you, 003."

"So then if that's really all she does besides her accelerator, why is 0018 in so much pain?" 004 asked in a questionable tone as he looked over at the injured cyborg in slight conrcern.

Professor Gilmore typed away furiously at the keys on his computer. "It seems that this child's body wasn't stable enough during the transplant to fully have the original program installed into her mind. And not to mention that the powers that we gave her must've been too much on her mind and body."

"So, can you fix it, Proffessor?" 003 asked in a worried tone as tears began forming in her eyes.

"It was just a small problem. I just replaced the faulty program with the original one that I had already in my computer. So she'll be alright in a few days." Proffessor Gilmore reassured the worried blonde woman with a kind hearted smile.

"You had us worried there for a minute, proffessor." 004 said with a relieved smile. "So she'll be okay, right?"

Proffessor Gilmore smiled nervously at the two cyborgs, but was stopped from speaking when the soft whimpering from on the bed quickly caught his attention. "Ah, speak of the devil." He said lightly as he disconnected the cables from the girl's wrist.

004 smiled at the awaken cyborg. "Hey, there, 0018. How's the nogon?" He asked in a friendly tone.

0018 groaned and looked around the room. "Uh- where am I?" She asked in a groggy tone as she placed a hand over her eyes.

"You're in our sick bay on the Dolphin." 003 said as she gently pulled at the girl's hand on her eyes. "Don't worry, 0018, you're safe here."

0018 tried to sit up, but 003 tried her best to push the girl back down on the bed. "I'm fine, miss. I want to sit up."

003 blinked at the girl on the bed, and released her slowly. When 0018 tried to sit up again, she gently pulled her the rest of the way up.

Once 0018 sat up, she rubbed her stomach slightly and looked over at 004 with a slightly angry look in her eye. "Who hit me?" She asked in quiet rage.

004 blinked over at the girl, and relaxed his stance. "I'm surprised you remember that. You were kinda goin' berserk back at the base." He said in a pleased tone, "I wouldn't be able to stand much less remember someone hitting me from a punch like that."

The injured shrugged her shoulders once in reply. "I guess I'm just pretty sharp-minded." She said in a quiet tone as she looked down at her hands.

"Do you remember anything about what happened to you before Black Ghost took you, 0018?" 003 asked in a concerned tone as she watched 0018 continued to look down at her hands.

"The last thing I remember was I was on my way to a new training camp called the, "International Figure Skating Training Cramp". Then the next thing I knew someone was screaming at me and you and two other men found me at that base." 0018 said in a bitter tone as she looked over at 004.

Proffessor Gilmore cleared his throat and looked over at 0018 with serious eyes. "We'll talk about this later, we're your friends, 0018. We want you to feel safe here." He told the young girl in a fatherly tone. "My name is Proffessor Gilmore. It's so nice to meet you, my dear."

"I'm 004. It's good to see that you're doing okay, 0018." 004 said in a relaxed tone as he offered her a smile.

"And I'm 003. I'm so glad, you're okay, 0018. I was so worried about you." The blonde woman said in a soothing tone as she followed the men's example and smiled warmly at the girl before her.

0018 narrowed her eyes at everyone in the room for a brief moment. "Why does everyone call me that? I have a name!" 0018 said in a low growl as she then looked down at her hands.

004 placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look up at him. "We don't know your original name, 0018. Besides, don't you think that it'd be like starting a new life with a new name?"

0018 blushed and looked up at the blue-haired man beside her bed. "A new life?" She asked in an uncertain tone as she looked up at the ceiling. "Alexie..."

004 raised a brow at the girl. "Alexie? I heard you say that name before. Was it a friend of yours?"

0018 looked over at 004 with a happy smile. "Alexie was my guardian after my parents were killed. He was special to me."

003 frowned slightly at the girl's response. "I'm sorry to hear that, 0018." She said in a sympathetic tone as she rested a comforting hand on hers.

0018 smiled weakly at 003 and slowly moved over towards the edge of the bed. "I need to get up." She said as she swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"You're still recovering from your injuries, 0018. Why must you rush things?" Proffessor Gilmore demanded in a worried tone as he stood stunning at the girl's will to push herself.

0018 looked her shoulder and gave the good doctor a lazy smile. "Maybe I'm just tired of other people tring to tell me what I can't do..."

And with that, 0018 pushed herself off the bed and stood up on wobbily legs until she was able to balance herself. "I've been through worse scraps than this." She muttered under her breath as if she was telling herself.

004 watched 0018 tap her left foot on the ground behind her and switched feet before she began stretching her legs. "I must say, 0018. You're a real scrapper." He said in an impressed tone.

0018 stopped stretching her legs and looked back at the man. "I was known as the "Devil's Angel" in my hometown." She said as in matter of fact as she gave him a cheerful smile. "I was known for fighting even though I was beaten pretty bad."

"It's good to know that you're okay to move around after having such a toll taken on your body, 0018, but don't you think you shouldn't over-do things at least for a few days?"

0018 shrugged lazily at the short old man. "I believe in pain is just something I can set my sights on. If it'll make you feel better, umm- Proffessor Gilmore, I'll be very careful, if it gets too much I'll stop." She reasoned reassured the good doctor.

004 stood impressed at the girl's stubborness, and looked over at the proffessor. "Let her do what she wants, Proffessor," he reasoned as he unfolded his arms and looked back at 0018. "I bet you're hungry, right? I'll show you to kitchen and we'll see if we can't find you something to eat." He offered.

0018 blushed and nodded. "Uh- thanks, 004. I am kinda hungry."

After that, 004 and 0018 slowly left the room.

Proffessor Gilmore sighed and folded his arms over his chest and scratched his chin; deep in thought. "That child always did give me and the my colleagues a hard time. I wonder what they did to her body while I was gone."

003 blinked over at the old man. "What do you mean, proffessor?" she asked in a confused tone.

"Well, if they used my designs on her, I'll bet my bottom dollar that she could be more like you and 009 than I think." He answered the confused woman across the bed from him. "And I've got a feeling that it could cause some problems for her in the future. But it's probably just an old man's worry getting the better of me."

003 looked over at the door and sighed with worry. "I hope you're wrong, proffessor..." She wished in a concerned tone as she began cleaning up her tiny mess near the bed where she had tended to 0018's wounds...

Wolf: And there you have it! Another fine chapter for my favorite childhood anime. How was it? Good? Bad? Get rid of it? What? I've been a little hurt that no one ever reads these kinds of fics, and I'm even more hurt that hardly anyone posts any of them.

004: That's because we're such an old series, that no one ever likes us anymore.

Wolf: Hey! Transformers is an old series, and they have a lot of stories posted! I was just trying to make a comeback from my writer's block, and this is the thanks I get?

002: Maybe you should get your head out of the clouds and grow up? Not everybody likes Cyborg 009. It's just the way things are...

Wolf: Oh, so you're saying that it's okay to just- give up? Just like that? Well, then I guess you know what's gonna happened now, don't you?  
>002: Huh? What's goin' on in your head, Wolf?<br>Wolf: Since you're being a big fat jerk, I'm gonna make you do the disclaimer! Ha! Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!

002: whatever. The Paper Wolf owns nothing associated with this anime, she only owns Angel and this story.

Wolf: Thanks, 002! Now you can go back to whatever hole you crawled out of until I need you again.

002: Yeah, right... Time to Jet!

Wolf: Sighs, I guess that could've gone better... I hope 0018 will get him to be a lot better later on in the story...

004: Please read and review her story... before she goes into a meltdown from all the stress...

Wolf: And remember, kids: Smile until you stop...


	4. A Ghost of Happiness

Chapter Four: A Ghost of Happiness

_We are a fighting team of dreamers!_

_We stand together,_

_or together, we'll fall!_

_It's the nature of nature._

_Sometimes you lose, _

_sometimes you win._

_Other times, _

_it's just not worth going on..._

After the older cyborg showed 0018 around the grounds, 004 showed the tiny girl to the kitchen where she sat at the table and looked around the fair-sized room. It wasn't much to look at, but it had a slightly familiar feeling to the young fighter. It felt almost like home to her.

"I'm sorry we don't have much food around here," 004 said in a fatherly tone as he popped something in the microwave, "I hope you like leftover Chinese food. At least it'll hold you over until 006 and 007 come back from the store and make us all dinner."

0018 smiled shyly at the man's statement. "I never was much of a picky eater. Alexie couldn't cook very well, so I had to learn a few things in the kitchen in order to cut back on take-out." She told him as he stood in front of the compact-size oven and folded his arms over his chest.

After the meal was ready, 004 took it out of the microwave and placed split it up on two plates. He placed one plate in front of 0018, and sat down with the second one. 0018 took a careful bite and hummed happily at the warm feeling when she ate her first bite.

"This is really good. I can tell this 006 really puts his heart and soul into making this food!" 0018 said in excitement as she ate some more of the small meal.

004 nodded in agreement. "I think he does, too. He's a really good cook. Though sometimes, he likes to use the strangest things in his rescipes." 0018 looked over at the man next to her. 004 laughed and shook his head. "This one time, we were hiding in a cave from Black Ghost and I think he either fried or barbqued some bats and cooked a snake for a stew."

0018 made a face. "Ummm- that's nasty." She said as she eyed the food on her plate; making 004 laugh even harder.

"Don't worry, he used chicken in this dish." He told her in reasurrence as she relaxed and began to eat some more of the food. "It really wasn't bad at all. 003 and 007 liked it up till the point where 006 told them what it was. But all in all, it wasn't half bad."

0018 shook her head at the man. "I've had: alligator, deer, frog, rabbit, snake, and turtle." She said in a thoughtful tone as she looked down at her food. "I remember this one time when I tricked Alexie into eating some alligator meat. He thought it was pork." She said in a laughing tone as she smiled at the memory.

"You miss him, don't you, 0018?" 004 asked as he watched the smile fade from her face.

"No, not really." 0018 said in a quiet tone, as she finished her meal. "He always taught me to keep pushing forward. The way I see it, I'm the only proof that he ever existed... When I think like that, it doesn't hurt as much." She said with a thoughtful smile as she picked up 004's plate (along with her own) and walked them over to the sink, where she proceeded to wash them, and put them in the strainer.

"That's a pretty mature way to think that way, 0018." 004 said in a pleased tone; watching her finish washing the dishes, "Just how old were you when Black Ghost got their hands on you anyway if you don't mind me asking that is."

"Wait, what do you mean? What year is it?" 0018 asked in a confused tone as she turned on her heel to look at him.

004 sucked in a breath before he answered. "It's 2003 right now." He asked in a flat tone.

0018 looked up at the ceiling for a moment. "I think I'm 31 right now... wait... no... yeah that's it." She said in a slightly surprised tone as she stared at 004 in mild shock. "I was born January 11, 1971. I was supposed to fight in this new big-time professional tournament in Ireland when I was 18, so it's been thirteen years since I've- wait how exactly did I leap-frog through time again?"

004 smiled grimly at 0018 and flattened his lips. "They put you in suspended animation for 13 years." He answered in a hollow tone; knowing all too well how it felt to be in suspended animation. And he did not like that at all.

"No wonder I felt so freaked out when I woke up." 0018 said in a blunt tone as she blinked at the man before her. "That would also be the reason why I was so cold when I woke up, too, huh?"

004 smirked at the girl and relaxed his composter a little. "You never cease to impress me, 0018." He said in a pleased tone, "I nearly flipped out when I found out what they did to me. And I'm sure everyone else felt the same way."

0018 shrugged casually at the man, before she walked over to the exit. "There's no point in freaking out now, is there? What's done is done. We can't change the past and all that." She said in a bored tone as she looked down at her feet. "I'm more angry with myself for being taken from my home so easily than I am at the ones who took my life away."

004 looked down at his hands for a moment; then he looked up to see 002 walking into the kitchen with an annoyed look on his face as he stared hard at 0018.

"Aren't you even the slightest bit angry that the Black Ghost turned your body into a weapon? I know I was when they turned me into one!" 002 shouted angrily as he glared at 0018.

"Oh, don't worry, bud. I'm beyond angry for what they did, but it's not worth losing yourself!" 0018 declared in warning; narrowing her eyes at the man standing in her way.

"Don't you want to get revenge on the ones who did this to you? It's just not right letting what they did go!" 002 bit back a frusterated growl.

0018 sighed in defeat. "If you want to look for revenge; then you better start by digging two graves."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The red-headed man asked in anger as he grabbed 0018's shirt and held her close to his face.

"002!" 004 shouted in warning, as he stood up in protest. "Stop it, you two!"

0018 grabbed one of the hands 002 was using to hold onto her shirt, and pushed it backwards. A sharp pain shot through his arm and forced him to his knees. She let go of his arm and pushed him backwards as she stared coldly at him.

"I don't like fighting, but if it gets my point across, then so be it." She said in a cold tone as she straightened her shirt out and walked over the man on the ground. "Fighting should always be a last resort. Someone always gets hurt..." She scuffed at 002 and walked outside for some fresh air.

004 watched the young girl walk outside, he turned to 002 with slight surprise on his face. "I don't think she likes fighting." He said in a blunt tone he said as he blinked a few times at the man on the ground.

0018 sighed as she sat down in front of the waves on the beach. She sat just out of reach, and folded her arms over her knees; locking them in place as she stared out into the ocean. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice she had an audience watching from the wooden porch.

_**'Come all you broken hearted!**_

_**Come and lay your burdens down...**_

_**Come kings, and queens, come royalty!**_

_**Surrender up your crown...'**_

_**Come empty-handed, **_

_**Come with nothing of your own to claim!**_

_**Come naked, poor, come like a child,**_

_**To ride the Orphan Train...'**_

0018 looked up at the sky with forlorn eyes. She remembered that song well. It was the song Alexie sang to her when she was still a small child. It was right after her parents had passed. She and her brother had been forced out of their home to live with the old man where she was exposed to the lifestyle known to her as _figure skating._ It was one of her favorite memories, but the thought of losing her life to become a cyborg made her sick to her stomach.

The girl looked back at the ocean where she imagined herself training on the horizon. Will she ever be able to train again? It was one of her best qualities. She didn't want to give it up. She kept singing the song to herself to try to keep those thoughts at bay for a moment longer. It was too painful for her to think about at the moment.

_**'Come ride, ride,**_

_**On the Orphan Train!**_

_**Put your ear to the track,**_

_**You can hear your name!**_

_**Come ride, ride,**_

_**On the Orphan Train!**_

_**It'll take you- all the way home...'**_

004 had been worried about 0018 since she told 002 that she didn't like fighting, and had stepped outside on the porch to keep an extra eye on her. He was going to sit with her and try to talk to her, but when she started singing, he didn't have the heart to stop her. He just leaned on the rail, and listened to her singing the sad little song.

002 had joined the blue-haired man after a while and felt slightly guilty for the way he acted towards 0018. He knew better than to let his anger get the best of him, but something inside made him so angry when he heard 0018's declaration. His eyes opened when she forced him into submission. He took a blow to his pride when a little girl (even if she was turned into a cyborg) forced him to the ground so easily.

He was so mad at the girl for hurting his wrist like she did, but when he heard her singing to herself on the beach, all his anger seemed to have banished itself in the back of his mind, as he leaned on the wall beside the door. He just closed his eyes, and listened as 0018 continued her song; completely unaware of her audience.

_**'The way is narrow,**_

_**It is steep,**_

_**That brings you to the door.**_

_**But love awaits,**_

_**There to embrass your heart forever more...'**_

The sun was beginning to set, and night began to fall across the sky. 0018 looked up and saw darker clouds rolling in from the North of the house. There was a sudden wind that picked up and blew through 0018's hair; making the long braid whip slightly against her back. There was a slight sound of thunder in the background; following a few faint flashes of light in the darkening sky. It sounded like a storm was getting ready to blow over the house in a while.

_**'Come ride, ride, **_

_**On the Orphan Train!  
>Put your ear to the track,<strong>_

_**You can hear your name...**_

_**Come ride, ride,**_

_**On the Orphan Train!**_

_**It'll take you ,**_

_**All the way home...'**_

004 looked over his shoulder and saw 002 leaning against the wall behind him. He sighed and straightened his back, and folded his arms over his chest.

"I think she's sad." He told the man behind him as he kept his eyes trained on 0018's tiny form on the beach.

"I remember that song. I heard it on the radio back in my day. I wonder how she knew it. You'd think kids in the 90's liked the new-age kind of music." 002 replied in a straight-forward tone as he mimicked 004 and folded his arms over his chest, "But I gotta hand it to her: she knows some good music."

004 scoffed at 002 and sent a glare towards the girl. "I bet she learned it from Alexie."

"Who's that? A boyfriend of hers?" 002 asked in a playful tone as he watched the girl sitting in the sand.

004 chuckled at 002; not taking his eyes off the girl. "Alexie was her foster father. She said her parents were killed, and she lived with him up until Black Ghost got their hands on her." He replied in a flat tone, not looking at the cyborg standing behind him.

"Well, that would probably explain why she hates fighting. Not to mention why she's so sad." 002 said, more to himself than to the man in front of him.

_**'Come you abandoned! **_

_**You forsaken!**_

_**Friendless and alone...**_

_**Come refugees,**_

_**Left homesick for, **_

_**Some place you've never known...**_

_**Here, princes, paupers, criminals, and saints,**_

_**Are all the same!**_

_**No more or less,**_

_**Than God's beloved child aboard this train...'**_

004 yawned and turned on his heel. He wanted to stay and hear the rest of 0018's song, but with the storm gaining fast, he knew 003 would want him and 009 to help her get ready in case the electricity should blow a fuse.

"I'm going in to see if 003 and 009 need any help getting ready for the storm." 004 said in a tired tone, as he passed by the taller cyborg; stopping before he went into the house, "Bring her in before the storm hits, would ya? It'd look bad on us if we had to put her back in sick bay for getting sick."

002 glared at the blue-haired man as he watched him go into the house. He heard a sound coming in front of him, and saw 0018's shoulders shake slightly. He guessed she was getting cold, but a closer look told him that she was crying.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." He heard her repeat herself over and over again as he watched her rock back and forth.

002 felt a slight pain in his chest and walked over towards the rail in hopes to get a better idea of what 0018 was being sorry for. He thought back to what 004 had just told him, and the idea of what was troubling the girl hit him like a ton of bricks. She misses her family. He figured that everything she just went through had finally sank in, and that she could never go back to the way she was before had finally taken its toll on her. He should know how it feels to have ones life taken away; leaving the world they knew behind must've been finally hit her.

002 sighed to himself and slowly walked over towards 0018; being as quiet as he possibly could so he wouldn't scare her. He stopped right behind her, and stayed as quiet as he could; looking out at the horizon in front of them.

"I'm sorry, 002." 0018 whispered as she looked backwards at him; watching his bangs fall in front of his eyes.

"What are you talking about, 0018?" 002 said with a grin, "I've got at least three reasons why I should be the one saying sorry to you!" He said in a mock arrogant tone as he stepped to her left side and sat down beside her.

0018 blinked over at the man sitting down next to her. She guessed by the way he reacted her talk with 004 that he was a fighter, and very hot tempered, but right now, he was more friendlier than he was back in the kitchen.

002 looked over at 0018's confused face, and laughed out loud. "Reason no. 1 is that I shouldn't've snapped at back in the kitchen. You had every right to voice your opinions and feelings about what Black Ghost did to you. Reason no. 2 is that 004 and I were listening to you sing that song. I'm surprised that you knew it- seeing as it's a very old song 'nd all. And reason no. 3 is that I wasn't acting real friendly to you when I knew you needed a friend now more than ever."

0018 turned her head towards the sky and watched the storm get closer. "I know how you feel about Black Ghost," she told him in a quiet tone, "I should be as mad as you are, but you'd figure with everything I went through growing up, this just seems like a better way to live than what I had back home..." She said as she kept her eyes on the sky; listening to the storm slowly coming their way.

002 looked over at 0018 with confused eyes. "What's wrong with the way you lived back home? I know you didn't have any parents growing up, but sometimes, it's better not knowing your parents."

0018 chuckled and shook her head at the man beside her, and closed her eyes. "You have no idea how right you are, 002." She said as she held out a hand for him. "Come on, the storm will be here any minute and I'm sure everyone's waiting for you, 002."

002 laughed and took her hand in his. "They're waiting for you, too, 0018." He said with a small smile and he pulled himself up and stood in front of her.

"Then we shouldn't keep them waiting." She said in a slightly playful tone as she let go of his hand and began walking towards the house...

Wolf: And here I thought 002 was such a tough guy... You take one look at a crying girl and melt! LOL

002: Oh, shut up! I just felt bad for hurting her feelings! What's so wrong about that?  
>004: It just goes to show that you really do have a heart!<p>

002: Whatever! I'm outta 'ere!  
>Wolf: Oh, no you don't! You have to do the disclaimer first!<p>

002: What? Didn't I just do the same thing last chapter?

004: The Paper Wolf owns nothing but 0018 and the story she is using everybody in! **looks over at 002** That wasn't so bad! I should do it more often!

Wolf: Thanks, 004! And as always, please R&R! And remember kids: Smile until you stop... Peace out!


End file.
